


Two Dates

by towokuwusatsuwu



Category: Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider W (Double)
Genre: Dating, Domestic Fluff, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 16:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10880988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towokuwusatsuwu/pseuds/towokuwusatsuwu
Summary: Philip suggests they need to change up their usual partner configuration for dating. Shotaro is not enthused about taking a grouchy bird out on a date. Like so many times before, Philip is right.





	Two Dates

In the seven or so months they had attempted at making this relationship work, they had never split off into pairs like this. Philip had chided him about not realizing they needed to do this, to fully work out that the four of them were compatible enough to make this work out.

Shotaro feels stupid for not realizing it himself, but he gets along well enough with Eiji and Philip and Ankh get along beautifully, so he never really stopped to think that they needed to switch their usual partners up a bit to make sure there were no obstacles in their path they had not become aware of yet. And even knowing that, he’s dragging his feet on this more than any person has any right to. In his defense, Ankh loves to insult him and calls him “half-boiled” even more than Philip.

For approximately the sixth time this morning, he whines pitifully and thumps his forehead down on his desk, earning a sigh from where Philip sits on their bed, reading one of his many books. Though Eiji and Ankh were supposed to have come by this morning, it’s closing in on noon and there has been no word from either of them as to why they happen to be late. Shotaro hopes nothing has happened to them at the same time he hopes something inconvenient but not dangerous to their health has come up so they have to call this whole thing off.

“For someone who was very insistent about giving this arrangement a chance, you seem very upset at the idea of spending alone time with Ankh.” Philip’s tone is dry, and he doesn’t raise his eyes from the book in front of him. “If Eiji can get along with him, then you should be fine.”

Shotaro pouts at him. “Easy for you to say, you two always get along with each other, and you would have to be an actual monster not to get along with Eiji.” He doesn’t add that, in fact, Ankh was an actual monster, or at least he had been until his time with Eiji softened him around the edges, but that doesn’t change the fact he had never been anything close to human.

The sound of a pair of bikes pulling up downstairs makes him whine louder and lean back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling and wondering just how badly today could possibly go. Philip has it easy, of course, since Eiji gets along with everyone he meets, a buoyant personality giving him warmth and personality in spades, and Shotaro had been drawn to him almost since the moment they first met. It had been obvious to him that the two of them were meant to meet each other, so perfectly in sync with most of their feelings that spending time with Eiji just comes naturally to him. Ankh is… Different. Bird of flames or not, he’s frosty at best and tends to make most people back away from him with the harsh edges of his personality and the sharpness of his tongue. How Philip has managed to get through that to whoever he happens to be at his core is beyond Shotaro; he had managed it with Philip, but Philip was never as cruel as Ankh could be.

The sound of footsteps approaching their door has both Shotaro and Philip rising at the same time, Philip crossing the room in quick strides while Shotaro hangs back. It’s usually the opposite with them, but Shotaro doesn’t know how Ankh will react to seeing him as Eiji had been the one who conveyed Philip’s wishes to him, and had simply told Shotaro and Philip that Ankh was willing to try. That didn’t have to mean he was happy about it, though.

On the other hand, it’s nice to see Philip being affectionate with their new boyfriends as something as ordinary as affection had come slower to Philip. He hugs Eiji first, brushing a kiss over his lips that makes Eiji beam and bounce on the balls of his feet, and then Ankh, and Shotaro tilts his head a little to watch that, because both Philip and Ankh are striking, all hard lines and sharp contrast, but there’s a lot of beauty in their differences.

“Sorry we’re late,” Eiji says, and Shotaro finally crosses the rest of the room to pull Eiji into his own arms, nuzzling into his windswept hair fondly. “Cous Coussier was extra busy and I didn’t want to leave Chiyoko with too much work to handle just so I could go on a date, y’know? It wouldn’t be fair. And someone was supposed to let me know the time, but he was asleep.”

Ankh makes a  _ tch _ noise at them and Shotaro raises an eyebrow at him; the sound reminds him so much of Wakana Sonozaki that it’s vaguely startling, and he wonders what Philip thinks of it. “I was taking a much-deserved nap. The heat is insufferable enough as it is.” Ankh doesn’t have to explain it; being a creature made of flames must make summers that much harder on him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Shotaro picks his favorite hat off the wall, then holds out a hand. “Shall we?”

* * *

“Are we just hanging around the office?” Eiji asks after Shotaro and Philip have gone, and Philip stands back a moment to admire him, dressed in so many soft and breezy layers.

“No. I couldn’t very well demand Shotaro take initiative to take Ankh out and then expect you to stay cooped up in here with me.” Philip picks up the shoulder bag that Akiko had given him, insistent he needed somewhere to store his books on the go, and holds out his hand. “Let’s go.”

The way Eiji’s face lights up makes Philip’s heart swell. “Where are we going?” he asks.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a very good surprise, now would it?” He beckons with his fingers and Eiji finally takes him by the hand, giving his hand a squeeze as he allows Philip to lead them both out of the apartment. “Besides, I really want to surprise you if I can.”

Eiji’s big brown eyes only widen further. “What’s the occasion? What did I do to get a surprise?”

“You don’t have to do anything for a surprise,” Philip says. “I just wanted to do it for you.”

He had been debating about what he could do with Eiji that would be special for him, someone who had been all over the world and who had grown up in a life of luxury that had afforded him the ability to want for nothing for most of his life. Philip, too, had grown up more than rich enough, but most of his life was still a questionable blur to him filled in with the gaps he’s gained from reading the book about his own life. Actual memories of his childhood were gone, probably never to be regained no matter what he tried. It wasn’t quite the same for Eiji, even if he too had memories that had haunted him and shaped him into the person he is today.

He knows Futo is still unfamiliar to Eiji, which gave him a few advantages in choosing something.

“I’ve not come here with anyone but Shotaro since we dealt with my family,” he says, leading Eiji toward the front doors of the building. “This structure used to belong to them.”

Eiji blinks up at the building, then looks over at him. “It’s a museum, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Philip agrees. “My father owned it. I used to help him at excavation sites, though I remember precious few of those memories. It’s usually very strange being here.”

Of course, Eiji smiles softly at him, bringing Philip’s hand to his lips. “Why bring me here, then?”

“Because you like to travel, and you appreciate culture,” Philip says. “This place has that.”

Of course, the interior of the museum has changed greatly since the Sonozaki family owned it, and Philip can’t help but feel it’s much brighter now, much cleaner, the darkness swept away. It may be a purely mental sensation of course, given that the museum had seemed shadowy and inherently dark to him because of his associations with it. Maybe just having Eiji next to him is just one of the few ways he will ever be able to feel comfortable in this place again.

It takes Eiji approximately five seconds to start dragging Philip around by the hand, intently examining every single exhibit he can find. “This is all so cool,” he murmurs.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” And he is, he genuinely is, and he leans in to press a kiss to Eiji’s cheek in front of the T-Rex exhibit.

Eiji apparently decides that isn’t good enough because he turns his body around, giving Philip’s hand a squeeze before using his free hand to cradle Philip’s cheek and pull him in for a proper kiss. As always, Eiji’s lips are warm and soft and sweeter than they have any right to be, and he kisses with an openness and an affection that spreads warmth first through Philip’s cheeks and then down through the rest of his body. He smiles into the kiss and slides a hand into Eiji’s hair, the strands incredibly soft beneath his fingertips, taking in how eagerly Eiji kisses him, a sharp contrast to how solemn Philip always feels when he walks into this building. When Eiji pulls away, Philip has to stop himself from going with him, trying to capture his lips once again.

“I love it here. I’d love to come here with you more often.” Eiji takes both of Philip’s hands in his, pressing kisses to them. “Mostly, I just love that you brought me here. Thank you, Philip.”

Philip smiles softly, kissing the corner of Eiji’s mouth. “My pleasure.”

* * *

 

Across town, Shotaro was, predictably, having a much more difficult time with Ankh.

“It’s too hot to be out and about like this,” Ankh informs him for perhaps the seventh time since they left the office, stubbornly refusing to remove his leather jacket all the while even though Shotaro had pointed out leather isn’t known for being a cool fabric. “Where are we going?”

Shotaro resists the urge to roll his eyes, telling himself to focus on where Ankh has also refused to release his hand since taking it at the door. “If I told you, it would spoil the surprise.”

Ankh scowls at him but falls back into his regular moody silence, glancing around them as they walk, no doubt trying to take in as many details as he can manage. After all, he isn’t familiar with Futo in the way that Shotaro is, and though Shotaro wonders if Ankh has come to like the city, he doesn’t want to ask. He loves Futo too much to invite someone to insult his city.

What he does know is that Ankh is pleased by the wind in the city, having once told Eiji it would be perfect for flying at night when no one else can see him. Most of the pedestrians are home in bed during the late hours when Ankh takes to the skies to lose himself for just a little while.

“It had better be worth all of this heat,” Ankh finally says, scowling up at him, the wind doing its best to sweep his curls into his eyes. “Why is it so hot here during the summer anyway?”

The question is an interesting one, and Shotaro wants to ask him exactly what he means by that and where he had been prior to now where the summers were not so hot. Even then, though, Ankh does have a point. This summer has been unseasonably hot and even Shotaro feels a little uncomfortable in his button-up and vest despite wearing them every day no matter the heat.

“It’s unusually hot weather, so even I’m not sure why,” he finally responds, and though Ankh doesn’t look pleased by that answer, he nods along as though it at least makes sense to him. “I promise we’re almost there, though. Can you hold out for another ten minutes or so?”

Ankh tilts his head in that strange, not entirely human way of his, and Shotaro makes a note to study birds, to see if they move their heads in such a way. “I suppose I can try.”

In just under ten minutes, they round the street corner and stop in front of the shop Shotaro was aiming for. The ice cream parlor is easily one of his favorite little nooks in the city, and once Ankh takes a minute to read the sign and recognize the ice cream cone emblazoned on the sign, his eyes light up. It’s rare to see him smile without that self-loathing edge to the shape of his mouth.

“Ice cream,” he murmurs, and Shotaro can’t help but laugh a little at his reaction.

“The best in Futo,” he confirms. “Eiji said the heat was bothering you. Ice cream is cold.”

Ankh snorts at him. “Many things are cold. Ice cream is better than just anything cold.”

“I’ll give you that one. Come on inside and get what you want. It’s my treat,” Shotaro says.

The shop owner blinks wide eyes at Shotaro when he walks up to the counter with Ankh, their fingers still twined between their bodies, but Shotaro doesn’t offer up an explanation. Instead, he just patiently explains the differences between the ice cream on the menu to Ankh, figuring he must have just eaten whatever was in the freezer to not know this, then waits for him to order.

“Are you sure about this?” Ankh asks, suspiciously eyeing Shotaro’s wallet when he retrieves it.

“I’m sure. Give me my hand, I need it,” Shotaro says, shaking Ankh off so he can pay for them.

He knows how birds eat, knows that they usually gulp their food down in huge bites rather than picking at little bits and pieces like the expression suggests. But watching Ankh demolish one third of a banana split sundae without stopping making Shotaro’s head ache as if he’s gotten brain freeze just watching. Maybe Ankh doesn’t feel that because he’s a phoenix deep beneath his skin; Shotaro will have to inquire that to Philip, who’s starting to become an expert on them.

When Ankh looks up to see Shotaro studying him, Shotaro sees the small dollop of whipped cream on the end of his nose, no doubt a result of nearly shoving his face into his food. Instead of handing him a napkin, Shotaro stand up and leans forward just enough to kiss the whipped cream off of his face, able to feel the slight aura of heat that always wraps around Ankh like a cocoon. This time, Ankh doesn’t scowl at him. He just twitches his nose before returning to his ice cream, but Shotaro still sees the flicker of a smile curl his lips before he takes another bite.

He was being ridiculous, and Philip was right, and it’s well worth the “I told you so” he’s going to get when he returns home. Worth it just to know he put a smile on Ankh’s face.


End file.
